Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology

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Alt-Country's wild-child settles down

By Chad Grischow

Ryan Adams has been called many things throughout his tumultuous career, but consistent has not been one of them. Yet, that label feels perfect for his tenth album since Whiskeytown dissolved. With a sturdier, more rustic sound that echoes the grace of Easy Tiger, without the schizophrenic jumps from track-to-track, Adams has never sounded so self-assured and refreshingly comfortable in his sound.

With a band like The Cardinals at your back, it would be hard not to sound confident. The band is firing on all cylinders here, painting a glossy country sheen on acoustic gem "Born Into A Light" and saving "Sink Ships" from Adams' achingly warbling vocals. "Like Yesterday" is a rare misstep for the songwriter, with lyrics that spew out like a meandering steam-of-consciousness, but the guitars grind together like a couple of love struck teens at a dance, for a gooey mellow vibe that is hard to resist. The only piece of the album where The Cardinals do not shine is on the heartbreaking beauty "Stop", where Adams indulges his love for tender piano ballads alone with a stunning look at addiction.

The occasional clumsy line or the clunky hook of "Natural Ghost" reveals that this is not Adams' best-written album lyrically. It is evident in most tracks that the songwriting took somewhat of a backseat to nailing the music this time around. It pays off with the velvety blues of "Fix It", sounding like Adams' audition tape for The Rolling Stones, with the swaying guitars providing a seductive swagger. "Go Easy" is a fantastically graceful post-breakup song, fondly recalling a failed relationship and telling his lover not to blame herself. The passionate hook rolling over the warm blanket of music makes it one of the best songs he has recorded in years.

Adams has not unleashed an unabashed pop song like "Magick" since Rock N Roll, but the shuffling riffs and toe-tapping beat are hard to resist in the midst of the driving hook. Ironically, the ragged rocker is the one most likely to turn into a radio hit, yet the lyrics make it sound like the odd irreverent songs he used to make up on stage as a joke; referencing mushroom clouds, malls on lock-down, and zombie swarms.

Cardinology is the most consistent Ryan Adams album yet. It follows up on the stellar sound he found on his last album, with more emphasis on a consistent tone and the brilliant band this time around.